Small electronic chips such as LED's are desirably mounted on flat flexible circuits by press fitting the chips within corresponding openings in the circuitry according to the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,627. The circuitry at the edges of the openings are bowed outwardly by the presence of the chips. Mechanical friction between the chips and the bowed circuitry sufficiently maintains the chips in place while establishing satisfactory electrical contact between the chips and the circuitry. In such a manner the chips are press fitted within the apertures of the circuit device.
Due to the small size of the chips it is imperative that handling and insertion of the chips be accomplished by a semi-automatic machine, leaving delicate chip alignment and insertion operations to precision machinery, rather than human dexterity. Against this background of the prior art the present machine was developed.